Andy Goode fancies the Springboks’ chances of beating the All Blacks at Eden Park in September and suspects this may be the reason the world champions haven’t been invited there in recent years.
The Boks are set to face New Zealand in Auckland and Wellington on successive Saturdays in the 2025 Rugby Championship, the first of those two Tests to be played on 6 September at Eden Park – where the All Blacks are unbeaten in 50 Tests.
South Africa have won just one of 10 Tests against the All Blacks at the venue, that result logged in 1937. However, the Boks haven’t faced the haka at Eden Park since 2013.
Speaking on The Rugby Pod with former Scotland lock Jim Hamilton and veteran Wales playmaker Dan Biggar, Goode suggested the All Blacks have avoided playing the Boks at Eden Park to preserve their unbeaten streak .
“I have heard that New Zealand don’t like or don’t want to play South Africa at Eden Park,” said the former England flyhalf.
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“Have a look over history when the last time the Springboks played there was.”
The Boks have played just once in New Zealand since 2019 – a 35-20 defeat at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland, yet Rassie Erasmus’ men have four consecutive victories over the All Blacks, including winning the 2023 Rugby World Cup final.
“I think the All Blacks choose who they play, where they play, when they play,” Goode added. “It’s the first time in a long time that the Springboks have got the invite to play at Eden Park.
“They [South Africa] could do it, they could end it. It’s got to end at some point, doesn’t it?”
Biggar, though, looked to the Boks’ record of just 10 wins in New Zealand over 46 Tests since 1921 as an argument for Scott Robertson’s charges coming out on top this year.
“They [the Boks] could beat it, but I actually think the All Blacks have played really well against the Springboks in the Rugby Championship [in 2024], and have always done alright against them,” he said.
Photo: Gordon Arons/Gallo Image
